Hurricane Watch 2010
by ddanne
Summary: A hurricane is moving up the eastern seaboard - and heading right for Annabelle's beach house! Will Boris once again be the White Knight - and rescue the damsel in distress? AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hurricane Watch 2010**

**I wrote this story two years ago when Hurricane Earl was heading up the eastern seaboard toward the Hamptons. Given that Hurricane Sandy – the "Frankentorm" – is now heading up the eastern seaboard toward the Hamptons, I decided to tweak it and post it. It takes place earlier in Boris and Annabelle's relationship. **

**Annabelle is a character I created back in the first season of "Royal Pains". If you want to check out the very beginnings of Boris and Annabelle's romance, check out "Boris & the First Invitation".**

**Enjoy! **

**xXXx**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Boris or any of the "Royal Pains" characters.**

**xXXx**

**He ****looked up in**** surprise when she walked into ****the library****. **

"**Annabelle! ****How delightful! ****I thought you were working at your beach house ****this week on the galley proofs for your new novel****? What brings you here ****to Shadow Pond****?"**

**Boris stood and stepped out from behind his desk. Clasping Annabelle's hands, he kissed her on both cheeks, then stood back and looked at her, head to toe. **

"**You look lovely, Prinzessin – as usual!" She was dressed casually – for Annabelle! – in a black jersey maxi dress and a blue denim vest. Boris smiled when he saw her bright yellow shoes – a happy little accent! **

"**Thank you!"**

**Boris gestured at the white leather chairs facing his desk. "Please – sit!" **

**She sat down in one of the chairs****, and dropped her****favorite Michael Kors totebag onto the other chair. ****"****So****. . .Boris. . .****I WAS working on my galley proofs! BUT – all work and no play make Annabelle a VERY dull girl!"**

**The corner of his mouth quirked into a subtle half-smile. "So. . .you are here to play, ja?"**

**Reluctantly, Annabelle shook her head. "Alas, no!" Annabelle hesitated, then continued. "Actually – ****this is an official visit. . .so to speak. . ."**

**He was immediately suspicious. "Official visit? How so?"**

**Annabelle gave Boris a sheepish look. "Well. . .I need a favor!"**

"**A favor?!" Boris sat back in his chair, stretched his arms out to the side, then crossed them over his chest. "Well – you have piqued my curiosity, Prinzessin! What can I do for you today?"**

**Hesitating, Annabelle took a deep breath. ****"****Hmmmm. . .****well. . .you know how you always get your knickers in a knot when you want to do things for me and I won't let you?"**

"**Annabelle. . .I am not familiar with that particular idiom. . .but I am ****fairly certain that**** I have never had my knickers in a knot?!"**

"**Oh. . .trust me, ****Sweet Pea****. . .you have! But. . .****not my point****?! Boris. . .I am here to ****offer you a golden opportunity****! ****One could even say it's a once in a lifetime opportunity!****"**

**He was growing more suspicious by the minute. "****Pray, tell me more!****"**

"**Well. . .you know. . .there's a hurricane. . .****a HUGE hurricane. . .moving up the eastern seaboard****!"**

"**Yes, Annabelle. . .I am well aware of the approaching hurricane****.**** But I fail to see how ****Earl'****s arrival is going to ****benefit me in any way?!****" He actually WAS beginning to see where this conversation was heading. . .but he was NOT going to make this easy for her!**

"**Boris. . .you're being obtuse on purpose!" She saw ****the corner of his mouth**** quirk ****again****. "Boris. . .I NEED your help! There's a hurricane heading right for my house. . .and I don't have a clue what I'm supposed to be doing****.**** For God's sake – we never had hurricanes in London****!****!" **

"**Well. . .what exactly do you need, Annabelle?"**

"**I don't know?! ****Some plywood. . .and ****a guy with a hammer, maybe? Boris. . .PLEASE?! Could you get someone to secure my house?"**

"**I could. . .but this must be quid pro quo, Annabelle!"**

**Now it was HER turn to be suspicious. "OK. . .what exactly do you want?"**

"**Hmmmmm. . .you ****must ****come here to Shadow Pond and STAY. . .until the ****threat from the ****hurricane ****has passed****!"**

"**That's it? Just stay here at Shadow Pond. . .with you****. . .until the storm is over****?"**

"**Ja! Those are my terms.****"**

**She tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair for a moment. . .and then made her decision. "****Done****!"**

"**Done****? No argument?"**

"**Nope. . .no argument!"**

**Boris was skeptical. ****"Well. . .I ****must**** be honest****, Prinzessin – ****I am surprised?! I ****was not**** expecting you to capitulate quite so easily!"**

"**Ha?! I can only imagine! But. . .as young Evan Lawson is so fond of saying. . .I am constantly evolving!"**

"**Very good! ****I**** will****make the arrangements to secure your house****. Go ****home and ****pack ****a bag. ****I**** will**** expect you back here ****for dinner****!"**

**She stood up to leave. "Thank you, Boris! I really do appreciate this!"**

"**You**** are**** welcome, ****Prinzessin – ****now go!"**

**When she reached ****the library**** door, she turned around. "Oh, Boris. . .one more thing?"**

"**Ja. . .what is it?!"**

"**Do you want me to pack the ruby and diamond bracelet?" His grin answered her question. "That's what I thought!" **

**He could still hear her laughing as he picked up the phone.**

**xXXx**

**There are at least two more chapters coming. If you enjoyed the first chapter – I would really appreciate some feedback! **


	2. Chapter 2

**It was late afternoon. . .and the hurricane was definitely getting closer. The wind was getting stronger, and the surf was getting higher; ****the blue Hamptons sky was disappearing behind threatening clouds****. The crew from Shadow Pond was already working to secure her house. Annabelle thanked them on her way out, tossed her things in the back of her Jeep ****Grand Cherokee****, and headed for Shadow Pond.**

**When she arrived at Shadow Pond, she found Boris ****where she had left him earlier, ****still working in ****the library****. ****He glanced at his watch; she was earlier than he had expected!**

"**Annabelle! ****Back so soon?****"**

"**You sound surprised, ****Sweet Pea! ****I thought you WANTED me here?"**

"**I do! But. . .knowing how much you like to. . .challenge me. . .I ****feared**** that you would stay at your beach house until it was too late!"**

**Ha! I DO love to challenge you, Boris. But. . ."**

"**But?"**

"**But. . .this time. . .I think you might actually be right! ****If my beach house goes sliding into the ocean. . .I think I'd much rather be here – with you!**** So. . .here I am. . .yours for the duration! The question is. . .now that you have me here. . .what ARE you going to do with me?"**

**Boris smiled in spite of himself. "Well. . .my plan is to keep you here. . .AND ****to ****keep you safe!"**

"**Hmmmmm. . .I think your plan needs some work, Boris?! It's lacking ****structure – which is SO not like you – and, more importantly, it's lacking ****adventure!"**

**Boris shot her one of his classic 'king of the castle' looks. ****"Annabelle, a hurricane is a serious matter; this is NOT an adventure!"**

**Annabelle chuckled. "****OK, ****Boris. . .****I'll concede that point. ****Don't get your knickers in a knot!"**

"**There ****is**** that expression again! Please to tell me. . .what, ****precisely,**** does it mean? It sounds rather. . .unpleasant!"**

**Annabelle chuckled.**** "Well. . .taken literally. . .****I'm sure it would be!****. Figuratively. . .I think you**** know EXACTLY what it means! Your English is flawless, Boris – and you have no problem with idioms! But you DO have a problem when people. . .hmmm, how shall I put this. . .THWART you! And that, my love, is when you tend to knot up your knickers!****" **

**Annabelle waited for Boris to respond. He opened his mouth to speak – and then closed it again without saying a word!**

**Annabelle chuckled again. "HA! I've rendered you speechless! It must be a hurricane miracle!"**

"**Annabelle. . .****you are aware, are you not, that you can be. . .exasperating?!"**

"**Boris – you say that like it's a bad thing!"**

**Boris shook his head in resignation****, and threw his hands up in mock surrender; he should have known better than to argue with Annabelle! "All right, Annabelle – we shall continue this discussion at a later time. But, right now, bitte, ****go get changed for dinner!"**

**xXXx**

"**Annabelle, I cannot believe that you seriously considered staying at your beach house for the duration of the hurricane!"**

"**Well – honestly? I just thought that the hurricane would turn out to be much ado about nothing?! The weathermen ALWAYS exaggerate about EVERYTHING! I figured I could ride out the storm AND get some work done. I was even planning a little 'hurricane picnic', complete with hotdogs on the grill!"**

**Boris shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, speechless.**

**The look on Boris's face made Annabelle chuckle. "Ha! You just aren't a hurricane picnic, hotdogs on the grill kind of guy, are you, Boris?"**

"**Nein! I am not!" Boris studied Annabelle's face for a moment, and saw the corners of her mouth twitching, ever so slightly. "And you are teasing me again, ja?"**

**Annabelle couldn't contain her giggles any longer, and threw up her hands in mock surrender. "All right, Boris! I'll behave myself! No more teasing – I promise!"**

**Annabelle had to give Boris credit. . .he was the perfect host. They were having dinner in the formal dining room. . .complete with fresh flowers and candlelight ****and servants in white gloves****! Thank God. . .knowing Boris as well as she did. . .she had packed her favorite all-purpose 'little black dress' at the last minute! **

**As the storm escalated ****outside****, ****they**** enjoyed their dinner****,**** safe inside the sturdy walls of Shadow Pond. ****The rain was pounding against the windows, and the lights flickered once or twice, but ****the**** wine was delicious. . .the chicken picata was excellent. . .and the conversation was fascinating. Boris was usually a man of few words – but when he was with Annabelle, he could talk for hours and never run out of things to say. **

**They had lingered over dessert – ****crème brulee with cherries, one of Annabelle's favorites****. ****Boris ****watched ****Annabelle as she regaled him with a very animated version of her friend Charlotte's latest adventures in London. **** Every time Annabelle gestured to make a point, her ruby and diamond bracelet twinkled in the candlelight. She was making one of those points when she glanced at Boris. . .and stopped in mid-sentence. His beautiful aquamarine eyes were glowing like embers in a fireplace; he ****had the look of**** a starving man. **

**She cleared her throat, then continued. ****"So. . .what do you have planned for after dinner, Boris?" The point she had been making earlier was suddenly forgotten. "Trivial Pursuit? Perhaps Monopoly? You could give me a chance to win back the four ****baz****illion dollars I lost the last time we played!"**

"**N****ein****. . .I think not. Not tonight."**

"**All righty, then!" Annabelle couldn't quite read the expression on his face. She hesitated, then asked, "Why?"**

**Boris gestured with his hand, dismissing the servants who were hovering in the background.**

**The last of the servants left, leaving Boris and Annabelle alone in the dining room. Boris still hadn't answered Annabelle's question.**

"**Boris. . .are you angry with me? Did I do something wrong?"**

"**Nein!" Boris stretched his arms out to the side, crossed them over his chest, then sat back in his chair. "No, Prinzessin, I am not angry! I am. . .I suppose I am. . .perhaps, weary."**

"**Weary?" Annabelle was still confused. "Boris – you're going to have to give me more than just 'weary'!"**

"**Hmph! Annabelle, we follow a pattern, you and I. We play games. . .we negotiate silly wagers. . .and, ultimately, we have a. . .a sexual encounter. But I negotiate business deals every day – and, sometimes, I grow weary of the negotiations. Sometimes, I would just like. . ."**

"**You would just like to skip the games and the negotiations?"**

"**Ja!"**

"**Go directly to me naked in your bed, do not pass go, do not collect $200!"**

"**Well. . .that is, perhaps, a rather. . .crude reference, but. . .ja!"**

"**Hmmm. . .bold!" Annabelle waited a moment. . .then flashed Boris a grin. "But I LIKE it!"**

**Boris looked surprised. "You. . .do?"**

"**I DO! I LIKE 'the king of the castle' – he's very. . .masterful – and bloody sexy! So. . .I just have one question. If you're the king of the castle – does that make me the lusty serving wench?" **

"**Hmph! Lusty, perhaps, but. . .serving wench? Hardly!"**

**Annabelle chuckled, and tapped the face of her wristwatch. "Well. . .tick tock, Boris! If the king of the castle wants the lusty serving wench to shag his brains out – what are we waiting for?! The hurricane isn't going to last forever!" **

**He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the chair. She was laughing as he pulled her along behind him.**

**Dieter could hear them laughing the whole way up the stairs. He smiled. . .and then went to check the doors. **


	3. Chapter 3

**xXXx**

**She was sprawled next to him, her arm flung across his chest. She was just drifting off to sleep when she felt him get out of bed. Her eyes were still closed as she felt him cover her lightly with the sheet. He made his way across the bedroom, and she opened ****one**** eye in time to see him pick her ****little black dress**** and her ****high-heeled ****sandals up off the floor. He draped her dress neatly over the ****back of the ****chair and placed her sandals under the chair before he walked into the bathroom. She heard the shower turn on right before she dozed off.**

**xXXx**

**When she woke up again, Boris was back in the bedroom, fully dressed and slipping on his shoes. ****She squinted, trying, in vain, to see the clock on the nightstand.**** "Boris. . .what time is it? Why are you dressed? Did something happen?"**

"**No. . .****but ****it**** is**** late. We. . .disappeared. . .rather abruptly after dinner. I just need to go downstairs and make sure that Dieter has the estate secured." **

"**Hmmm. . ." Annabelle snuggled under the covers.**

**Boris walked over to the bed and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Go back to sleep, Prinzessin." **

"**Hmmm. . ." **

**Boris left the room before she could protest.**

**xXXx**

**She was standing at the French doors, watching the storm, dressed only in his paisley silk pajama top, when Boris returned to the room. He was surprised to see her out of bed. "Annabelle. . .you**** are awake****? I was ****expecting to find ****you**** sound asleep ****when I returned****!"**

"**Well. . .the storm is getting awfully loud ****– ****and I just couldn't fall asleep without you here. ****What can I say? ****I missed you! So. . .I thought I'd get up and watch the storm."**

"**Annabelle ****– ****bitte, come away from the doors?"**

"**Why? I LOVE storms. . .they're exciting! Come on****, Boris; ****you can't tell me it wasn't a rush****, ****making love with the storm pounding away outside? And besides ****– ****this is my first hurricane!" She turned her head****, grinning at Boris****. Suddenly. . .there was a strong gust of wind and a loud crack as the lock on the French doors gave way and they blew open****; ****the door on the right ****caught**** Annabelle on the forehead. She yelped in ****pain****; her**** knees buckled****,**** and she collapsed onto the floor in a lifeless heap. **

**Frantic, Boris bellowed "Dieter!"**

**Wind and rain swirled into the room. Boris rushed to Annabelle and pulled her away from the open doors. The blow to her head had knocked her out cold. Her face was pale; blood flowed from a cut on her head. Boris was fighting his rising panic. He had wanted her here at Shadow Pond to keep her safe****;**** now here she was****,**** on the floor, unconscious, and bleeding ****–**** quite a lot! **

**Just then, the door to his bedroom opened, and Dieter rushed in, followed by two of the bodyguards. The bodyguards moved to secure the doors****,**** while Dieter called Hank. Once the doors were secure, one of the bodyguards brought towels from the bathroom. Boris held one of the towels to her head and tried – unsuccessfully – to stop the bleeding. He shot a panicked look to Dieter, who put a calming hand on his shoulder and assured him, "Dr. Lawson is on his way!"**

**xXXx**

**Hank was examining her carefully. . .while Boris paced like a panther behind him and watched over his shoulder.**

"**So. . .you know your name. . .right?"**

"**Annabelle."**

"**Do you know where you are?"**

"**Yes. . .Shadow Pond."**

"**Do you remember what happened?"**

**She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to focus her thoughts. "The. . .um. . .the. . .the. . ." She gestured toward the French doors in frustration. "Anyway. . .they blew open and ****smacked**** me ****in the face****! I don't remember anything after that.****" ****She shook her head, then, suddenly, blurted out "****Doors! DOORS! The doors blew open!" She looked relieved that she had finally remembered the word. She closed her eyes and sank back into the pillows. **

"**OK****;**** give me a minute while I talk to my landlord ****–**** before he wears a hole in the oriental rug. Then I'll stitch you up." **

**He turned away from Annabelle****,**** and pulled Boris away from the bed. "Boris ****– ****calm down! She's going to be OK!"**

"**Hank ****–**** are you SURE? There was so much blood. . .****?****!"**

"**Yeah****, ****she has a scalp lac ****– a ****laceration. They tend to bleed profusely. I'll put in a couple of stitches. ****I think she**** has a slight concussion****; she'll probably have a headache tomorrow. **** She'll need to take it easy for a day or two. . .but she's FINE!"**

"**You ****are**** absolutely sure?"**

"**Well****, ****yeah ****– ****I'm sure! ****I'm a doctor – remember? ****I'll check on her tomorrow****, ****and if you need me ****– ****which you won't ****– ****but IF you do****, ****I'll be in the guest house."**

"**Thank you, Hank!"**

"**Yeah. . .no problem****!****"**

**xXXx**

**Boris handed her a brandy. Probably not the recommended treatment for a head wound ****– ****but she looked like she needed it.**

"**Well, Prinzessin. . .what shall we drink to?"**

"**Hmph! ****How about the end of hurricane season?"**

"**Done!" He clinked ****his**** glass ****to hers****. She took a sip of the brandy and closed her eyes****; ****she was dangerously close to falling asleep with the brandy snifter in her hand. He gently lifted the glass from her hand and sat it on the nightstand. **

"**Hey, Boris?"**

"**Yes?"**

"**I TOLD you your plan needed some work!"**

"**Go to sleep****,**** Prinzessin!" When she didn't answer. . .he turned out the light. **

**xXXx**


End file.
